‘Stranger Things 2’ Song List: From Devo To Donna Summer, ’80s Radio Dominates Netflix Soundtrack

Stranger Things 2 is finally here and it’s bringing ’80s radio back with it. The highly anticipated second season of the megahit Netflix sci-fi series not only features the return of fan-favorite characters like Will, Mike, Eleven, and Hopper, but it delivers a soundtrack packed with original instrumentals and dozens of ’80s hits.

In addition to an original score by Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, the Stranger Things 2 song list contains a potpourri of important ’80s music that goes beyond last season’s on-repeat, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” (Although the Clash hit turns up again in Season 2.)

While Dixon and Stein, aka Texas-based synth duo S U R V I V E, kick things off with the instrumental “Kids,” pop culture fans will instantly recognize Devo’s “Whip It” in the premiere Stranger Things 2 episode, “Mad Max.” Other ’80s songs in the first episode include Oingo Boingo’s “Just Another Day,” The Romantics “Talking in Your Sleep,” and on the hard rock side, The Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”

The second episode of Stranger Things 2, titled “Trick or Treat, Freak,” includes hard rocker Ted Nugent (“Wango Tango”) as well as a keg party scene set to Motley Crue’s early ’80s song “Shout at the Devil.” Later songs in the Halloween-night episode include Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film” and Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters.”

Subsequent episodes of Stranger Things 2 include Queen’s 1984 song “Hammer to Fall,” glam band Ratt’s “Round and Round” and Bon Jovi’s freshman single, “Runaway.” By episode eight, Stranger Things fans are seemingly in a darker mode with Metallica’s “The Four Horsemen,” but don’t worry, by the next episode, Donna Summer is singing “I Do Believe.” The female-led ’80s hits are also represented with Pat Benatar (“Love is a Battlefield”) and Cyndi Lauper (“Time After Time.”)

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein’s original score anchors the Stranger Things 2 soundtrack with 34 new instrumentals. Clearly, the soundtrack plays a major part in Stranger Things 2. As for those haunting originals, Stein told E! News it was hard to imagine how the duo’s music would “look” in the original Stranger Things, but for Season 2 they had a clearer understanding of the series, which may explain the aptly-named title track, “Eggo in the Snow.”

“Coming into [season] two, we kind of already established the tone of the music, and a lot of the melodies and the world that the music would live in,” Stein said. “We knew there were a couple new characters, but we had to wait to see the stories to know how we could evolve the music, but keep it cohesive with the first season.”

The original music from the Stranger Things 2 soundtrack is will eventually have a vinyl release. Meanwhile, the full Stranger Things 2 song list is available for your listening pleasure on Spotify.

Stranger Things 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.

[Featured Image by Netflix]